14 Naxalites killed in twin encounters in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar

Sukma/Bijapur, Jan 3:Security forces killed 14 Naxalites, including wanted ultras Mangtu (DVCM) and Hunga Madkam, in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh's Sukma and Bijapur districts in the Bastar region, on Saturday.

While 12 Naxalites, including Mangtu (DVCM), were neutralised by the security forces during an exchange of fire in Sukma, the bodies of two Maoist cadres, including Madkam, were found in the forests of Gaganpalli village in Basaguda, Bijapur, senior officials in the Ministry of Home Affairs said.

In Bijapur, the forces recovered one SLR rifle and one 12-bore rifle, along with the bodies of two Naxalites, they said.

An exchange of fire broke out in the forest of the southern region of Sukma district, where a team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxalite operation.

"More than 10 cadres have been neutralised so far. The operation is still underway, and more details will be shared later," the official said.

In Bijapur, a gunfight took place in a forest in the southern region of the district when a team of the District Reserve Guard, a unit of the state police, was out on a similar operation around 5 am, another official said.

The bodies of two Naxalites were recovered from the scene, he said. The intermittent exchange of fire was still underway, and further details were awaited, the official said.

As many as 285 Naxalites were gunned down in separate encounters with security forces in Chhattisgarh last year.

It may be mentioned that the centre set a March 31, 2026, deadline under Operation Sankalp to eliminate the scourge of Naxalism from the country.

Operation Sankalp, one of the biggest counterinsurgency actions launched in the Bastar region, involves around 24,000 security personnel from different units, including the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters, Special Task Force (STF), all units of the State police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and its elite unit CoBRA.

PTI